Causes & Effects of Adolescent Depression

Understanding Adolescent Depression

Learn about adolescent depression

While it is widely known that adults suffer from depression, adolescents can also find themselves struggling with the emotional lows that are cornerstone to this mental health condition. When a young person is experiencing symptoms of depression, he or she will likely experience a deterioration in functioning that can cause negative effects in several areas of his or her life. If that same youth is abusing substances or engaging in compulsive gambling at the same time as battling depression, the resulting effects can be even more devastating.

Statistics for adolescent depression

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published reports that estimate the prevalence of depression among adolescents to be around 13 percent. Of that percentage, approximately half of male and female adolescents who meet diagnostic criteria for a depressive disorder receive the appropriate treatment needed to manage their illnesses.

With specific regards to treatment for depression, adolescents who grapple with depression symptoms and substance abuse at the same time are less likely to respond to treatment that only cares for depressive disorders. For this reason, mental health professionals recommend that parents and caregivers be cognizant of their child’s needs in order to determine the most appropriate treatment option.

Causes & Risks

Causes & risk factors of adolescent depression

Researchers have yet to isolate a single identifiable cause that explains why depression manifests in some adolescents, but not in others. However, mental health professionals agree that there are certain causes and risk factors that can lead a young person to suffer from a depressive disorder. Consider the following:

Genetic: A substantial amount of research supports the notion that depression is a heritable mental illness. If an individual has a first-degree relative who suffers from this mental illness, there is a greater risk that that person will also come to suffer from symptoms synonymous with a depressive disorder.

Environmental: Much like a person’s genetics can increase an individual’s vulnerability to experiencing certain mental illnesses, the environment in which one spends most of his or her time, along with certain experiences, can impact the onset of a mental health condition, such as depression. If a youth is exposed to trauma and/or chronic stress, is bullied by peers, or experiences negative interactions with his or her caregivers, the likelihood of depression being a factor in a youth’s life increases exponentially.

Risk Factors:

Personal history of trauma

Personal history of being bullied by peers

Having low-self esteem

Family history of depression or other mental health condition

Personal history of other mental illness

Family or personal history of substance abuse or addiction

Experiencing abrupt life changes

Being female

Low socioeconomic status

Exposure to chronic stress

Signs and Symptoms

Signs & symptoms of adolescent depression

Parents and caregivers can become educated on the signs and symptoms of depression as they manifest in their adolescent. The following are among the more common indicators that a youth is suffering from the symptoms of depression:

Behavioral symptoms:

Tearfulness or crying

Poor academic performance

Demonstrating aggressive behaviors

Isolation from peers or loved ones

Missing school

Ongoing tardiness

Declined participation in activities that were once enjoyed

Engaging in risky behaviors

Self-harming behaviors

Lethargy

Physical symptoms:

Self-injury wounds

Psychomotor agitation

Sleep disturbances

Weight gain or loss

Stomachaches

Headaches

Migraines

Digestion difficulties

Aches and pains

Cognitive symptoms:

Poor concentration

Problems forming memories

Hindered ability to make good decisions

Delayed thinking

Psychosocial symptoms:

Feeling as if one is helplessness or hopeless

Damaged self-esteem

Guilty feelings

Feeling worthless

Increased irritability

Anxiety

Unwarranted emotional outbursts

Dismal attitude

Effects

Effects of adolescent depression

Failing to help an adolescent get treatment for depression can elicit a number of harmful consequences. Even more damaging are the effects that can occur when a youth is suffering from untreated depression and a substance use disorder and/or gambling disorder. The listed effects are those that can result when a young person continues to suffer from these conditions without receiving treatment:

Demise of relationships with peers

Conflict with loved ones

Absences from school or impaired academic functioning, which could result in academic failure

Disciplinary action at school as a result of behavioral disturbances

Expulsion from school due to frequent disciplinary action

Development of another mental health disorder

Social withdrawal or isolation

Changes in weight

Somatic symptoms of pain

Substance abuse, which could lead to addiction

Onset of self-harming behaviors

Onset of ideations of suicide

Attempts at suicide

Co-Occurring Disorders

Adolescent depression and co-occurring disorders

Young people who suffer from depression often meet diagnostic criteria for other mental health conditions. In many instances, youth grappling with the emotional lows associated with depression often turn to substances or other addictive behaviors, such as gambling, in order to cope with their turmoil. When this is the case, they may also be diagnosed with a substance use disorder or gambling disorder in addition to a depressive disorder in the event treatment is sought. Aside from those diagnoses, the following mental illnesses may also affect an adolescent who is battling depression:

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“When I came to Keystone, my depression had me at an all time low. But they helped me dig my way out of the hole I felt my life had become. Now I keep my mental health while living the kind of life I wanted.”